


The Other on My Heart

by kiwigirl



Series: Speak Now (the Words on My Skin) [3]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bucky Barnes Recovering, F/M, Las Vegas, Songfic, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-10
Updated: 2015-12-29
Packaged: 2018-05-05 23:39:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 8,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5394542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiwigirl/pseuds/kiwigirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After her relationship imploded, Darcy moved to the other side of the country. She expected her soulmate to turn up sometime. She didn't expect <em>this</em>.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Hello

**Author's Note:**

> This is a continuation of chapters 9 and 10 of The Beat of Our Hearts. Both of those have been reposted below for easy reading. Thank you to everyone who asked me to continue this!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter based on the song Hello by Adele, from the album 25  
>  _I'm sorry for breaking your heart, but it clearly doesn't tear you apart anymore_

“APPLE PIE IN THE OVEN” the headlines proudly proclaim. “STAR-SPANGLED BOOTIES” 

A year ago, Darcy would’ve been ecstatic to see those headlines. Also a little pissed, because, hello, privacy? But secretly pleased at the paparazzi pics of a beaming Steve helping his girl out of a car, her baby bump just starting to show. 

A year ago, that would’ve been her. 

She and Steve clicked when he first moved into Avengers Tower. Her inattention in history class had left her with less patriotic awe than the average American and they bonded over Disney movies as she caught him up on 70 years of pop culture. She’d just moved to DC to join him when they discovered her soulmark, long faded, had burst into full colour. Steve was devastated, and nothing she could say had eased his dismayed sense of betrayal. She had moved out the next day. Maybe they could've worked through it, with enough time, but then SHIELD fell and he threw himself into fighting the new HYDRA threat.   

She had found work with a charity just outside LA, about as far as she could get from him without leaving the 48 states. She'd considered Alaska, but Darcy liked to be warm. He’d insisted that she shouldn’t leave just because of him, but as he couldn’t even hide a flash of hurt every time they talked, she figured it was better for both of them this way. 

Her shoebox apartment is too small, too quiet, and so she spends her time in a diner about three blocks away. She becomes good friends with the staff and is oh so slightly addicted to Mabel's chocolate malt milkshakes. 

She first tried calling to apologise months ago, but when his phone picked up, it was a woman who answered. _Steve's busy at the moment, how did you get this number?_ She'd stammered out a Stark-related explanation and hung up. 

She tried again later, several times, but hasn't managed to get through. She's thought about leaving voicemails, but what good would that do? 

She considers calling once more, to offer her congratulations. She doesn't. 

* * *

Every day, he remembers a little more: of who he was, of who they made him into, of what he's done. The man on the bridge- Steve- he remembers him too. 

Remembering hurts. 

He makes his way across America, just one more drifter on the road. 

Every now and then, he sees Steve on the news, defusing a hostage situation or saving some kids. Punk always wanted to help others. Small but scrappy, with a heart of gold and knack for getting into trouble. Those Brooklyn days are coming back to him faster than those that came after, for which he is eternally grateful. 

Each time he sees two boys playing in the street, his heart twists a little more. 

Now all the papers are talking about this baby, and showing photos of Steve visiting children's hospitals in full costume. Bucky remembers a younger Steve meeting his little sister Rebecca, just after her birth, and being so scared he would drop her. He laughs at the memory, a rusty sound that surprises all in diner, including himself. The curious eyes make him uncomfortable, and he quickly pays his bill and leaves. 

He's not sure where exactly he is, at this point. He passed Las Vegas a while back, headed south and west somewhat, perhaps circled back around.The next diner is one of those that looks 50's themed not on purpose, but because no-one bothered to update the decor. Despite this, it's pretty much full and no booths are available, so he slides into a seat at the counter that allows him to watch the door. There's a TV in the corner, turned to the 24-hour news channel, once again doing a report on the Avengers. 

Watching closely, he only distantly notices the spot next to him being filled by a girl who greets the staff like old friends and orders "her usual". She joins him in studying the TV, slurping noisily on some chilled confection that the staff had waiting for her. 

As the news moves on to the Super Baby Watch (apparently Pepper Potts has been spotted buying baby paraphernalia and the talking heads are going wild), the girl groans and rests her head in her hands. " _I can't believe I'm the one feeling guilty when he's so obviously over it. Does that seem fair to you?"_  

It takes him a moment to realise she's talking to him. " _Depends on what you did, doesn't it?"_ he replies, before recognising her words. 

She sits bolt upright, stares at him. "That. That is what I did, which is totally not fair because I didn't even do anything! Were you in a coma or something?" 

He stares back, equally shocked, not sure how to respond. "Something like that," he mutters eventually. 

She looks thoughtful, but doesn't push. "I'm Darcy. I haven't seen you in here before. You from around here, or just passing through?" 

"James, and I'm just passing through" he replies. "I take it you're a regular?" 

"One of our favourites," the waitress informs him as she delivers his burger and fries. "Yours'll be a little longer hon," she tells Darcy. "We're swamped." 

He pretends not to notice as she steals his fries. 

* * *

Somewhere in the midst of swapping family stories, it clicks. Why he looks familiar. Why she's sure some of her pop culture references flew straight over her head. She thumps her head on the table, narrowly missing the BLT that arrived minutes before. "Steve's gonna kill me," she groans under her breath. 

He freezes. Damn superhearing. "Steve?" he asks cautiously. 

She sits up, looks him dead in the eye. "Yep. Steve. Your old buddy, and coincidentally, my ex. Ohhh, telling him is going to  _suck_." 

He makes a face. "Do we have to?" 

She rolls her eyes. "It'd be worse if he finds out otherwise. He's going do that super disappointed face that he did when he realised I wasn't going to tell him about my words." 

He waves a hand at the TV, although by now it's switched to a different story. "It looks like he's moved on well enough." 

She grabs his hand, pulls it down where it won't attract attention. "Sssshhhh," she hisses. "And yeah. Ain't that a kick in the face, huh?" 

"You all right there, Darce?" asks Tom as he passes by, a stack of empty dishes in one hand and a cleaning cloth in the other. 

"Just fine," she replies. "We just found out James here knows my ex." 

Tom shakes his head. "The guy didn't deserve you, and you know it." 

"He's a great guy!" she replied indignantly. "Just not right for me." As she speaks, she realises the truth of her words. This last conversation with James has felt more right, more real, than all those months before. Steve had found happiness his own way, had moved on.  

Maybe it was time she did the same.


	2. Our Song

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter based on Our Song by Taylor Swift  
>  _I was just thinking how we don't have a song_

Though they discuss how and when to tell Steve, in the end the decision is taken out of their hands when Sam comes to check on Darcy.

One moment they’re experimenting with tossing M&M’s and catching them in their mouths, the next, there’s a polite knocking on the door. Darcy leaves James on the couch to find a vaguely familiar black man on her doorstep. He has a friendly smile and a slightly embarrassed air.

“Hey, are you Darcy?”

“Yeah, I am,” she replies cautiously. “Do I know you?”

“Not really. My name’s Sam Wilson, I was in the area and Steve Rogers asked me to check on you. Says he knew you back in New York?” From the way he asks, it’s obvious that Steve told him more than that.

Darcy nods. She’s wondering whether it would be unwise to invite him in; she recognises him now: the Falcon, Steve’s new Avenging buddy.

She’s obviously left the silence linger too long, because he starts shifting slightly, glancing curiously over her shoulder. She knows the moment he notices and recognises James behind her: he does a double-take and his face goes blank with surprise. Grasping the front of his shirt, she drags him inside and shuts the door behind him.

In a flash, James is beside her, “everything ok there, doll?”

She rolls her eyes. “I know you could hear everything from the couch.”

Sam is looking between them. “Darcy, do you know who this is?” As if she hadn’t noticed the shiny metal arm encircling her waist.

“Yeah,” she sighs. “It’s new, ok? Just, don’t tell Steve?”

Sam is looking dubious, but he nods. “I’ll tell him you’re doing fine then. But you’re going to have to talk to him soon, he’s got me looking for you everywhere.” The last, he directs at James. Darcy feels a bit hurt, but Steve has his priorities, and she’s not one of them anymore.

* * *

They decide to do a road trip back to New York, because flying involves metal detectors and they’re pretty sure James isn’t going to get through any of those without notice.

The first few hours are pretty sweet. The sun is out, the radio is blaring, and Darcy is doing a credible imitation of a dog with its head out the window, hair streaming behind her as they rattle down the freeway. Just as they cross into Nevada however, she leans forward and turns the radio down.

James glances over. “Something wrong, doll?”

Darcy grimaces. “Nothing. It’s just, Steve always called this our song.”

He turns the music up again, listens for a few seconds, then switches it off and laughs. “ _This_? This was your song? If you’re looking for a sign that it wasn’t going to work out, this is probably it.”

She pouts in response. “I like this song! Well, I did.” She pauses, reconsiders. “It probably wasn’t the best song for a relationship though. I guess I just liked the idea of having a song.”

He looks over at her, long enough for her to get worried. He was driving, after all. “You want us to have a song? You got one in mind?”

“I’ve thought about it, you know? But none of them quite seem to fit,” she admits.

“We’ll just have to make our own then,” he grins.

“Our own?”

“Yeah. Life’s got a music all of its own. Our song is like you slamming the car door-“

“Otherwise it doesn’t lock!”

“It’s old! Now hush. Like staying up late, chucking rocks at your window-”

“Which should not be possible, you have scarily good aim-” She catches the look on his face and mimes zipping her mouth shut.

“When we’re on the phone and you talk real quiet, ‘cause you’re at work and your boss don’t know.” He quirks an eyebrow at her and she laughs, and he continues, “our song is the way you laugh, that first day when you said the words on my chest and how I feel at home when we’re all alone…”

He lets his voice trail off, looking concerned; Darcy realises she’s actually teared up a bit. Trying to lighten the mood, she complains “now none of the songs on the radio are going to sound any good!”

He snorts. “You may change your mind if you ever actually hear me sing. Becky used to compared it to slaughtering cats!”

Darcy clutches her chest in horror. “You can’t sing? How dreadful! I’m having second thoughts.”

“Oh, I can sing. Anyone can sing! It just doesn’t sound very good.”

“Yeah, I somehow guessed that.” Darcy’s cut off by a yawn: she went into work today to tidy some loose ends and make sure her absence wouldn’t cause too much trouble, so it’s getting quite late.

James looks over at her. “We should stop for the night. Have some dinner, get some sleep. What’s the next town?”

Darcy checks her phone and can’t stop a grin from spreading across her face as she answers “Las Vegas.”


	3. Miss You Being Gone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter based on Miss You Being Gone by The Band Perry  
>  _Do you think I'm walking around with a bullseye on my heart?_

They find a motel off the Strip and head out to explore the town. They agree to avoid casinos (too many cameras) and find themselves in a bar that is set up like an old English pub. Together, they enjoy some fish and chips, and Bucky learns that Darcy is not very good at darts when she’s sober.

When she’s drunk, she’s terrible. The darts go everywhere: the wall, the floor, even into the glass of a patron sitting a little too close. Rather than being annoyed, the other patrons start yelling out tips to improve her aim. One even attempts to show her, but his hands-on presentation is quickly halted by an imposing Bucky and heckled by onlookers.

“Imagine someone’s face as the board!” offers one man.

Darcy narrows her eyes, aims carefully, and hits the board! Thrown too lightly, the dart falls to the ground, but the resulting cheer has Bucky grinning in pride.

The next dart hits the board again, and sticks, as does the next. The one after that unluckily hits a frame and bounces off, but Darcy sets her jaw, and the next few all give her points. As she turns in triumph to finish her drink, she mutters “right in those perfect teeth”.

Bucky stills. As Darcy sweeps past him, he grabs her hand and pulls her into his lap. Under the sound of cheers and hoots of laughter, he murmurs, “Doll, whose face were you imagining?”

Darcy slips out of his grasp to face him, rolling her eyes. “Who do you think?”

His stomach lurches. “Darce, do you still-?” He can’t bring himself to finish.

Her face changes from annoyed to horrified. “What? No! I just-” She lowers herself onto her chair, hides her face in her hands. When she next speaks, Bucky can barely hear her, even with superhearing.

“I just thought we’d be forever, you know? We were good. We were happy. Then your words show up and it’s like he doesn’t even know me anymore. I thought we could get through it. Soulmates don’t always work out! Everyone knows that!”

“Do they?” his tone is gentle. “I don’t know about now, but Steve was never marked. His parents were, though, and they were the happiest couple I ever saw. There were rumours of soulmates that split up, but all the couples we knew were solid. He never would’ve wanted to take that away from you.”

She looks up, and she looks _pissed_. “Well, maybe he should’ve told me that! Instead of making noise about staying away from another guy’s gal, as if I was some kind of – of property! Talking about doing the honourable thing, then knocking up the blonde next door.” Part of Darcy knows that she’s being unfair, that Sharon had always had a thing for Steve but had been decent enough not to make a move, but she’s drunk enough to not care.

Bucky finds it hard to argue with her. His last words were less memory, more unspoken intuition that came to mind when he thought about the man on the bridge. Truth be told, he doesn’t remember much more of the man who used to be his best friend and knows even less of the man who was his last target. Instead, he places his hand (flesh, not metal) over hers in comfort.

The anger drains out of her. In its place, she just looks tired. “I thought he was my friend. I thought no matter what, he’d still be my friend. But he let go.” Unspoken lies the question _will you let me go too?_

He knows words won’t help. This hurt was deep, and had been growing, not healing, for almost a year. The last beer he drank has already been burned away by his metabolism. It is a stone-cold sober man who slides from his seat to one knee.

 


	4. Marry You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is based on Marry You by Bruno Mars  
>  _it's a beautiful night, we're looking for something dumb to do..._

“Darcy Lewis, I don’t know much, but I know you are the most real thing this shifting world has ever given me. I will never leave you, and I never want you to leave me. Will you marry me?”

Darcy’s mouth drops open. He is dimly aware that while the other customers are watching with bated breath, the staff ignore them as if proposals of marriage happen all the time. Then again, given their location, they probably do.

There’s no more time for internal monologuing, though, because Darcy’s nodding and crying and as he stands and embraces her to the cheers of the crowd, he finds himself getting suspiciously misty himself.

* * *

The nearest chapel, as it happens, is the Chapel of Justice just around the corner, which does superhero-themed weddings. Darcy takes it as a sign, and so they walk there, the night air clearing her head somewhat. The chapel must be doing brisk business, because there's a line of costumed almost-weds waiting to go in. Just ahead of them, a slightly portly Superman kisses Wonder Woman. Closer to the chapel doors, Captain America holds hands with a pregnant Emma Frost.

Except.

Oh.

That’s not a costume. Well, one of them is. But one of them isn't.

Well.


	5. Done

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few notes:  
> 1) In case I didn't make it clear, that's Sharon Carter in an Emma Frost costume. She wanted to get married in white  
> 2) Yes, there is a force that ensures that coincidences happen just when they have the most impact. It's called the author  
> 3) When you have three active stories with the same characters, keeping them all straight is a little difficult. Apologies for the slowdown in updates  
> Finally, enjoy the chapter! This one is based on the song Done by the Band Perry, from the album Pioneer  
>  _you're one bridge I'd like to burn, bottle the ashes, smash the urn_

Two couples, one blonde, one brunette, stare at each other outside a wedding chapel in Vegas.

Darcy finds she's got enough of that righteous anger left to march right over to them, a wary James in her wake. Steve's staring at the two of them like he can't quite believe his eyes.

"Bucky?" he whispers, but that's as far as he gets because Darcy plants herself in front of him, hands on her hips, with James at her back.

"Steve. Sharon. What a surprise to see you here." Her tone is akin to that of frozen helium.

He tears his eyes away from James. His expression shifts from one of joy to uncertainty and something that looks a lot like guilt. Sharon's just watching Darcy warily, and the guilt there is a lot more pronounced.

"Darcy. How did you and Bucky-?"

"Nevermind that. What are you two doing here?" It's pretty clear what they're doing here. In fact, the local celebrant has just come out to invite the next couple in. Seeing they're occupied, a Green Lantern andCatwomantake their place.

Steve's face closes off into something that screams Good and Righteous. It would be more effective if she hadn't doodled moustaches over all her textbooks, history included, all through high school. "As you may have heard," he replies stiffly, "Sharon is pregnant."

Darcy flicks her gaze to Sharon's rounding stomach, then back to Steve. "No kidding."

Ignoring her interruption, he continues, "And we decided to do the right thing."

Darcy's jaw drops. It's not that she has a problem with marriage. It is a wonderful, lovely commitment that should not be entered into lightly- whoops. She's going to have to rethink that Vegas wedding, but maybe after she's finished with her ex and his pregnant fiancée.

Bucky enters the conversation for the first time. "Wouldn't the right thing be to not have gotten her pregnant in the first place?"

Steve looks defensive. "It isn't- I mean we did-"

Darcy rolls her eyes. This old-fashioned reticence was once adorable. Now, she finds it annoying. "So you have supersperm. Whatever. Ever think about not sleeping with her? It's been less than a year, and you're what, five months along."

"Four, actually," Sharon answers. "It was my fault really. Steve was feeling guilty about how you two ended and we bonded over not being marked. It just kinda happened."

"I knew you'd find your soulmate eventually," Steve interjects. "I didn't want to get in the way."

"Oh, well, that's alright then."

"Really?" asks Steve, a hopeful look on his face.

"NO!" she yells, and has the pleasure of seeing him flinch. "What part of this entire situation sounds okay to you?" 

Temporarily lost for words, Steve turns to his old friend with an earnest look on his face. "Look, Buck, I don't know how you know Darcy but I am so glad to see you-" but James is shaking his head.

"I remember you," he states baldly. "I don't remember much, but I do remember you. And I do remember the right way to treat a dame. I never thought the guy I remember would do this, but like I said, my memory's a little faulty." Having said his piece, he crosses his arms over his chest, and looks at Darcy.

Her shoulders are still tense, but her eyes are shining. He realises that she was waiting for him to back Steve. He slings an arm around her shoulders. "Come on, doll, let's go."

Steve looks stricken. Sharon looks sad. She and Darcy hadn't known each other long enough to be friends, but they'd been friendly, despite Sharon's at-the-time unrequited crush.

"For what it's worth Darcy, I'm sorry."

Darcy turns back, looks them both up and down.

"Right now? Not worth a whole lot, I'm afraid."

The ashes of her anger sit heavy in her stomach, but James' arm is warm and solid around her shoulders as they walk away.


	6. I Really Like You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was totally meant to be fluffy, but apparently these two require a bit more angst.  
> This chapter based on I Really Like You by Carly Rae Jepson  
>  _it's way too soon, I know this isn't love_

By unspoken agreement, they head back to the motel. Darcy is the first to break the silence. 

"Thank you. For what you said back there." 

"It was the truth." 

"But he's your friend." 

"Doesn't make what he did right.' 

Impulsively, she leans forwards and hugs him. His arms close around her instinctively. After a moment, her shoulders start to shake, and he realises she's crying. 

"I thought it would help. I thought I'd feel better if I could just talk to him, to them, but I don't." Her words are muffled by his shirt, but he can understand her just fine. He doesn't know how to reply. Even before the fall, he was useless when faced with a crying woman. 

She chuckles bitterly as she detaches herself from him. "I'm a mess. You deserve someone better, someone without all of this." 

He pauses, considers how best to respond. "You forget I'm a mess too." When she doesn't respond, he continues. "I have 90-odd years of memories and conditioning all muddled up in here. I wake sometimes and I don't know where I am, when I am. But when I'm with you, everything's a bit, I don't know, clearer. You're funny, and brave, and honest. I don't want somebody better because there is nobody better. I want you." 

He realises he's studiously staring at his arm. When he lifts his gaze to see how she's taking his words, he finds her looking thoughtful, eyes red but dry. 

"So we're both a bit screwed up," she says. "I guess I can live with that." 

* * *

The moment is interrupted by the rumble of his stomach. With shock, Darcy realises it's been some hours since dinner. 

"Damn metabolism," he mutters, and she laughs. 

"We can go get some pizza," she offers, and is rewarded with a grin. "Just let me wash up." 

The pizza is overpriced and so covered with toppings that the base has gone soft, but as Darcy watches James swear at the cheese that just slid off, taking all the toppings with it, something in her chest loosens.

That night, they fall asleep curled together on that sagging motel bed, and it's the best sleep she's had in months.


	7. Bright

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is based on the song Bright by Echosmith, from the album Talking Dreams  
>  _you make what doesn't matter fade to grey_

Now they don't have to visit Avengers Tower, they decide to use Darcy's time off work to visit the Grand Canyon. Neither of them have been before, and by the time they pull into the carpark, their excitement is almost palpable. 

James puts the car into park and they get out of the car. He doesn't offer to get her door any more. If dimly remembered 1940's sensibilities make her uncomfortable, they can be abandoned. He does insist on driving, though, but that's more due to Darcy swerving to avoid pigeons ("they fly!" "but what if one's injured and can't?") 

Hand in hand, they walk to the lookout. There's already a crowd there: a bunch of tourists, probably from the buses they passed. None of them look particularly happy, and when James and Darcy look over the edge, they can understand why. 

Fog. Thick, grey, and obscuring the view any further than 10 metres down. 

"This is not how I imagined this," Darcy admits. 

James doesn't answer, but she can tell he's even more disappointed than her. In an effort to distract him, she takes a look around, spots a sign for another lookout point further up the Canyon. She points it out to him. "Maybe the view will be better there," she says hopefully. 

The fog is a little thinner as they walk up the track, and Darcy takes about 20 photos at a break in the clouds. James seems ready to go back and call the whole thing a bust, but Darcy insists on continuing. When they reach the second lookout, however, it's like turning the corner and stepping into a new world. They can see right down the canyon, all greens and reds. For a long moment, they just stand there in wonder. 

"Oh, it's  _beautiful_ ," breathes Darcy. 

She turns to find James gazing at her. "Not as beautiful as you," he tells her frankly, and pulls her to him. 

They get photos. Lots of photos. Selfies, panoramas, they even got a nearby couple to take some of the two of them and return the favour. If they hadn't kept going, Darcy would've been content with just the photos from before, but looking at them now, they all seem rather grey and dull. She deletes most of them, but keeps one where her hair looks just right. 

Eventually they have to turn and walk back through the fog. The world around them turns grey and drizzly, but the memory of that bright view keeps them warm until they reach the car. 


	8. entr'acte

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An ominous interlude in an unspecified location

“Sir, we’ve got a lead on the asset’s location. It’s a photo on Facebook, taken at the Grand Canyon yesterday. He’s in the background.”

“Are we sure it’s him?”

“Facial recognition has a 97% match. Besides, there’s the arm.”

“Who’s the girl?”

“We believe she’s Darcy Lewis, former employee of Tony Stark. We have an unconfirmed report that she was in a relationship with Captain America, but she is currently based in California. Her credit card indicates that she has booked a motel in Arizona for three days.”

“Send a team; make sure they have all the appropriate tools for neutralisation and retrieval. Ignore the girl; she is of no importance if she is no longer affiliated with Stark. SHIELD will be a lot more manageable once we have the asset at our disposal.”

 


	9. Clarity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things take a turn for the not-so-good

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Intermission is over, and Act 2 begins! Hopefully I'll have this fic done by the end of the year because I'm going to be sans internet for a bit afterwards (just a holiday, don't fret).
> 
> Anyway, this chapter is based on the song Clarity by Zedd featuring Foxes  
>  _if our love is tragedy why are you my remedy?_

Darcy still has two weeks holiday, so they decide to head up through Utah to Seattle, then back down the coast. It’s her first proper vacation since moving to the West Coast and she finds herself really looking forward to it.

James is one of those people who can be disgustingly awake before 8am, so he heads to the store to stock up on supplies for their trip while Darcy has a shower and makes herself coffee in an attempt to appear human.  She’s used up two of the capsules provided by the motel and is deciding between the hot chocolate and the decaf when she realises that it’s been nearly an hour since James left.

The store is a short walk away, and an even shorter drive, even in her old clunker. She waits almost until it’s time to check out, but she’s starting to have a very bad feeling. She tries calling, but he doesn’t pick up. Gathering her things, she returns the key to reception and walks to the store.

Her car is in the parking lot and the key lies a few metres away, glinting in the morning sun. When she asks inside, they tell her James never came in. The bad feeling is on the verge of exploding into a full-blown panic attack.

She can’t go to the police: she has no proof of his identity, or even of his existence, and she’s not sure she wants to involve the local authorities. After all, it’s not like any random mugger could actually be a threat to James.

She calls Jane, but the call goes immediately to voicemail. Jane could be anywhere from on a science bender with a dead phone to on Asgard without signal, and the latter is actually more likely since Tony installed wireless charging technology in the labs.

If her old phone had not met a watery death shortly after moving coasts, Darcy could’ve called any of the Avengers. As it is, there’s only one more number that she knows by heart.

* * *

“Who is this?” Classic Steve response to any unknown number, as if clips with his voice weren’t taught in high schools daily.

“It’s me. Darcy. Listen-“

“We, uh, were wondering if you’d call. You've changed your number. About the other night-“

She cuts him off, because this is so not the time for this conversation, no matter how badly she wanted it before. “He’s missing. James is missing and I think HYDRA have him.”

His tone sharpens, becomes Captain America rather than Steve. “Where are you? How long ago did this happen?”

“We’re at a motel in Tuba City, Arizona. He went to get food about two hours ago and never got from the parking lot into the store.”

Steve huffs out a frustrated sigh, before “in two hours they could be anywhere”.

“Yes, but maybe Tony can track his phone.”

“No good, they’d’ve chucked it already.”

“Only if they found it, and I don’t think opening up his arm would be their first priority.”

“What!?”

“He doesn’t always remember where he puts things, so this meant he’d never lose it.”

She and James had been mucking about one day when they discovered the compartment in his arm. Heaven knows what it was there for, but it was just big enough for one of those cheap cell phones from the gas station. They’d even found a way to hook it into whatever powered his arm, so it didn’t even need charging.

“What’s the number?”

She rattles it off, answers a few more questions, and then, “Thank you for this, Darcy. It means a lot.” And then he hangs up.

Darcy stares at her phone in disbelief. She stabs the redial icon but the phone just keeps ringing. She unlocks the car, grumbling all the while about know-it-all national icons who most certainly do not know best. It’s time she goes back to New York.

* * *

He was careless. Without Darcy, the world doesn’t quite seem totally real. When they pulled up beside him in the parking lot, he only had time to take two out before they attached some device to his arm that made it spasm uncontrollably, then deactivate into dead weight. While he was distracted, they inject him with a syringe that leaves him woozy and limp. He is bundled into one of the vans and his downed attackers are stuffed into the other. They pull out of the lot less than ten minutes after they drove in, and the part of him that was the asset cannot help but admire their efficiency.

The rest of him can only think _Darcy._


	10. Fight Song

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where HYDRA get their butts kicked and a conversation is had

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You may have noticed that I have set the number of chapters in this fic. Yes, it is all written, and there will be two more chapters after this one. I aim to have this done by the end of the year. Thank you everyone who commented and encouraged me to write this!
> 
> This chapter is based on Fight Song by Rachel Platten. It is in two parts, and the second part... I wasn't planning on writing it, but Darcy got to the Tower and it just happened. Let me know what you think!  
>  _and I don't really care if nobody else believes, cause I've still got a lot of fight left in me_

Tony _can_ track the phone. While he’s been dubious about bringing in the Winter Soldier, a victim of HYDRA kidnapping and brainwashing is much less worrying. Thor is on Asgard for some diplomatic event, and Sam had some family event, so it is a smaller team that preps for the rescue.

The signal eventually leads them to a base in the Pyrenees, nestled between and under the mountains. Steve is prepared to rush straight in, but Tony advises caution, and is proved right when an unfortunate deer wanders too close and is fried by unseen lasers.

It takes hours for Tony to map the defence grid as Steve gets more and more impatient, but when he’s done, they have a map of the base underneath as well. Unfortunately, the signal from the phone is distorted by the rocks, and it could be coming from anywhere in the base.

Natasha goes in first, to disable the defences, with Clint hot on her heels to take out the other half of the guards. Steve follows just behind them but Tony stays outside to mop up escapees with Bruce and Vision. He’s found underground tunnels make his suit a distinct disadvantage.

Once in the base, Steve, Natasha, and Clint split up. While Natasha prefers stealth, and Clint comes at his problems sideways (and from the vents), Steve elects to take the direct way though. It’s slow going, but he leaves a trail of smashed booby traps and unconscious HYDRA goons behind him.

When he finds Bucky strapped to a table on the edge of unconsciousness, it’s a shock of déjà vu like a punch to the stomach. He’s still breathing, but he’s hooked up to an IV that’s pumping about five different drugs into his system. In the corner sits what looks like a dentist’s chair, all wires and cables. It looks incomplete, for which Steve is inexplicably thankful.

“S-Steve?”

“Yeah, Buck, it’s me.”

Bucky mutters something else, which Steve can’t catch, but as he releases the bindings and hauls him upright, Bucky slurs “Darcy?”

With a jolt, Steve realises he never checked back in with Darcy. Hell, he doesn’t even know where she is.

“She’s fine, Buck,” he lies, but Bucky lapses back into limp unconsciousness and even Steve’s enhanced strength struggles to keep them both moving. Luckily, Clint and Natasha find them then, and Clint takes Bucky’s other side as Natasha covers their retreat.

Only when the jet is back in the air and Bruce is checking Bucky over does Steve relax.

* * *

Even driving through the night, it takes Darcy two days to get to New York. She prefers focussing on the road to worrying about James, but as miles and hours speed by, it’s through sheer force of will that she doesn’t pull into every gas station she sees to check the state of her soulmark or her cellphone. Every hour Steve hasn’t called her is another hour that James is still missing.

She tries her old code to enter the Tower complex; to her surprise, it still works. Part of Jane’s contract gave her a parking space, but as she doesn’t like driving or own a car, Darcy feels pretty confident in pulling into her old boss’s space. She doesn’t actually have a plan here, but she knows whatever happens now, it will centre around the Tower, where it all began.

A female voice greets her as she enters the elevator. It’s a bit of a shock not to hear JARVIS, but she’s seen enough of the news to know he seems to have a body of his own these days. Good for him.

She asks FRIDAY to take her to floor 81, where Steve’s rooms are. Contrary to tabloid reports, apart from Tony himself, the Avengers do not get an entire floor each, though the apartments are both spacious and luxurious.

Steeling herself for the confrontation to come, and desperately wishing for James’ comforting presence by her side, she knocks on the door. It’s a bit of an anticlimax when it’s Sharon who opens the door.

“You can’t have him back,” the blonde informs her flatly.

“I don’t want him back,” she replies, thrown.

Sharon studies her face for a moment, then nods. “Okay. Come in then.”

She opens the door wider and Darcy steps inside. “I just want to talk to your husband.”

Sharon rolls her eyes. “He’s not here and he’s not my husband.”

Darcy halts in her forward progress and is about to head back into the corridor, but Sharon continues , “I should really be thanking you for that; you threw him so much I was able to talk him out of that particular bit of noble idiocy.”

“You- what? You didn’t want to get married?” Darcy’s sure she’s heard wrong, but Sharon shakes her head, ushers her towards the couches.

“No. Well, yes, eventually, but not because of the bub.”

“Then why-?”

“We were discussing baby names and Mr 1940’s just assumes it’ll be a Rogers. Told him it was just as much mine as his, if not more. Seemed to remind him that we weren’t married, and he got it into his head that the best thing for the bub was to get hitched.”

“And so you ended up in Vegas?”

“He was all determined. You know how he gets.”

Darcy nods. The tabloids might call it _tenacity_. She would more likely call it _bloody-minded pigheadedness_ , if not worse. She was never able to stop him opening every door for her. “But you talked him out of it?”

“Eventually, yes. We agreed a boy will take his name, and a girl will take mine.”

Darcy frowns. When she first met Sharon, she was posing as a nurse under a fake name. Since then, Darcy’s been pretty successful at ignoring the tabloids as they churned out article after article on the Avengers’ love lives. “What is your last name?”

“Oh, I thought you knew! It’s Carter.”

“Wait. Like…”

“Peggy Carter, yes. She’s my great-aunt.” A pause. “I’m not really sure how much my feelings were influenced by her stories of his heroism and goodness. Me and my cousins, she always told us not to sell ourselves short, to hold out for a Steve Rogers.” She shakes her head, a fond smile on her face. “She was a little surprised how literally I took her.”

“And it’s not awkward? You never felt like you were some sort of replacement for her?” Darcy knows she’s being rude, but with the year she’s had, she feels she’s earned a little rudeness to satiate her curiosity.

As it is, Sharon doesn’t seem to mind her forwardness. “Maybe if it had gotten further between them, it would have, but it was during the war. They barely had time to flirt. To be honest, I was more worried about him using me as a replacement for you.”

“For me?”

“Yeah.” Sharon is suddenly earnest, almost pleading. “Darcy, you didn’t see him after you left. It really tore him up. You were his first friend this century, you know?” Sharon pauses, seems to make up her mind regarding something. “I recognised you, you know? When you called. Not immediately, but while you were talking. Just when he was starting to get over you, just when he was starting to see me as more than Peggy’s niece. I was just so scared, so I deleted your call. I’m sorry. I just couldn’t let you break his heart again.”

Darcy doesn’t know whether to gape, yell, or cry. “Me? Break his heart? What about him breaking mine?”

Sharon shakes her head gently. “Darcy, you’re _marked_. Someday you’re going to meet your soulmate, and no matter what you wanted before, everything will change.”

Darcy narrows her eyes. For someone who’s unmarked, that sounds an awful lot like experience, but the expression on Sharon’s face is too bitter to be called a smile, and her voice, when she next speaks, is almost too soft to hear.

“His name was Jack, and he was the cousin of my college boyfriend. I met him the first time Danny took me to a family Christmas. I loved Danny, truly I did, but with Jack… everything was so much more real.”

She rubs her upper arm, an almost reflexive movement, and now Darcy knows, she can see the writing, so pale it is nearly invisible. Her mark was never that light. “What happened?”

“On his way back to college after that break, he was going a little too fast. Hit some black ice. He was killed instantly. I felt my mark fade.”

“And your boyfriend?”

“They were like brothers, grew up practically on top of each other until they went to different colleges. He couldn’t blame Jack, so he blamed me. I dropped out of college, signed up for SHIELD.” She falls silent, and for once, Darcy has no idea what to say.

After a long moment, Sharon exhales loudly. “I’m sorry, that was heavy, and you really came to talk to Steve, only he’s away on some unspecified mission. Apparently being pregnant means I must be shielded from any potentially upsetting situation.” She snorts. “I can’t wait until he has to change his first diaper. Upsetting situation. Ha.”

Just then, FRIDAY chimes. “Ms Carter, you asked me to inform you when Captain Rogers is returning. He will arrive back at the Tower in an hour.”

As Darcy stands to leave, Sharon looks up with a wry twist to her lips. “Don’t be too hard on him, ok? He can be an ass sometimes, but he always means well.”

Darcy raises an eyebrow. “You what they say about the road to hell?”

Sharon laughs. Right now, Darcy doesn’t know what to think of her. They’re not friends, not by a long shot, but they’re not enemies either, and Darcy refuses to cast them as romantic rivals. Sharon has Steve, fine. She has James and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

Still, she has a lot to think about before Steve gets back.


	11. It’s Alright, It’s OK

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas! As this fic draws to a close, I want to thank everyone who initially commented on the chapters when they were still in ficlet form. It's thanks to your enthusiasm that this is here! Also big thanks to my mom who suggested how some of Vegas would play out (not that she'll ever see this).
> 
> This chapter is based on the song It's Alright, It's OK by Ashley Tisdale, from the album Guilty Pleasure  
>  _I'm so much better without you... I'm stronger now_

Darcy is somehow surprised that the common area is unchanged. The coffee is in the same place, the fruit bowl is full, and the snack shelf of the pantry is still empty. When she lived here, she tried to keep it stocked, but snacks would disappear about as fast as she could buy them.

With nothing else to do and Jane out of town for some conference, she hunts down the ingredients to bake bread. The concentration needed for the meticulous measuring keeps her mind occupied, kneading the dough gives her an outlet for the frustration of the last few days. It’s a frazzled, floury Darcy who is setting a timer on the oven when Steve steps out of the elevator.

“Darcy! What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to know how the search was going, but you weren’t answering your phone.” She gives him a pointed look, but a grin breaks out over his face.

“We found him! He’s still unconscious, but Bruce thinks he’ll be fine once the drugs are out of his system.”

“Where is he?”

Steve’s forehead creases. “Look, Darcy, I don’t think he’s up to visitors right now.”

“I don’t give a rat’s ass what you think, Steve Rogers. FRIDAY, where is he?”

Ignoring Steve’s protests, she has FRIDAY take her (and him, when he follows her into the elevator) to the med floor. At his door, Steve steps in front of her, blocking her way.

“Let me pass.”

“Let him be! Why do you need to see him so much?”

She whips off her shirt, shows him her back. “This. This is why.”

“Wh- _what_!?”

When she turns around again, he’s practically ashen. “Now let me pass, or I swear I will castrate you with one of those silly plastic spoons that they give you in hospitals.”

She’s not sure if it’s the shock or the threat, which she is fully prepared to carry out, but he doesn’t resist as she pushes him out of her way. Inside, James is asleep, tossing restlessly but otherwise looking unharmed. The wave of relief at seeing him, having him there, is almost enough to erase the anger from outside.

Almost.

Because Steve has followed her in, and as the door clicks shut behind them he asks “Why didn’t you tell me?”

She whirls. “ _Why?_ You dare ask me that? Because it’s none of your damn business, that’s why! Last time you saw my mark, you freaked out, and maybe I get it now, but I didn’t then, and you never even talked to me. A year, Steve, it’s been a year. You didn’t call, didn’t email, couldn’t even send a freaking letter. Absolutely nothing until you send a stranger to my door, so you obviously knew where I was but couldn’t be bothered to visit yourself. I had to find out about you and Sharon from the tabloids! Do you know how that feels? Obviously not, otherwise you wouldn’t’ve done it.”

Darcy realises she’s crying, but she doesn’t care, because it feels so damn good to finally say this out loud. “You were my friend! Before anything else, you were my friend, and I trusted you, and you took that trust and you smashed it. So don’t you dare ask why I didn’t tell you this, because it is my life and you made it very clear that it doesn’t matter to you anymore! So go back to your pretty unmarked baby mama and tell her she can have you, with my compliments! I hope your baby is a fussy eater!”

And with that, all her anger drains out of her, leaving her empty. All the worry, all the stress of the last three days catches up to her and she sways on her feet. Steve makes to hold her up but halts at her glare. Instead, she gropes for the bed behind her, lowers herself down onto the edge.

She takes a moment to catch her breath, then looks up. “I’ve talked with Sharon. I understand why you did what you did, mostly. But your reasons were crappy and your methods were terrible and I am so glad to be done with it all.”

Steve’s been staring at her with his mouth hanging open, but at her last words it snaps shut. “Darcy, I’m so, so sorry.”

She shakes her head. “Not in the mood for apologies, Stevie-boy. Just go away.”

He looks as if he wants to keep talking, but thinks the better of it, and after a moment, leaves.

As the door swings shut, a voice from behind her goes “Darcy?”

She turns to find James watching her groggily. “You’re awake!”

He smiles. “You were being pretty loud.”

“I’m sorry.”

He shakes his head. “Don’t apologise. Not when it means I get to wake up to you. Though-” he interrupted by a yawn. “I don’t think I’m going to stay awake for long.” He pats the bed next to him. “Stay?”

She crawls over, stretches out against him, her head pillowed on his chest. Feels herself relax as he slips an arm around her.

“You alright?” he asks, and she knows he’s asking about more than the bed.

“Yeah, I’m ok.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One last chapter to go!


	12. Love Story

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we are, at the end of my second finished fic ever! Thank you to everyone who has commented, the long rants and analyses were simply the best <3
> 
> This chapter is based on the song Love Story by Taylor Swift, from the album Fearless.  
>  _this love is difficult, but it's real_

Thanks to the superserum, most of James’ injuries were healed before he was even rescued and Dr Cho soon pronounces him “fit for active duty, or whatever”. He only has to stay in the hospital for two days, and Darcy leaves his side only once: when Steve comes by.

It’s less her giving them privacy, and more that she doesn’t have the energy to deal with him again. Instead, she goes to spend time with Jane, who is back from her conference.

While Jane has missed Darcy’s friendship, she admits that with Thor and FRIDAY, she hasn’t pulled anything worse than an all-nighter for months. Thor, who has also returned to the Tower, is delighted to see his lightning sister and is most appreciative of her baked goods. Spending time with them, she can almost forget about the conversation that must be happening on the med floor.

* * *

“So. She’s your soulmate, huh?” Steve’s sitting in the chair that Darcy vacated when he stuck his head in.

“Yep,” Bucky replies. “Under other circumstances I woulda thanked you for keeping an eye on my girl, but…” The silence after that speaks volumes.

Steve winces. “I’ve screwed up, Buck. I’ve screwed up bad.”

“Yep,” Bucky repeats, but this time, he doesn’t continue.

“When I saw her mark, I panicked” Steve admits.

“Doesn’t excuse what you did after.”

“No. I knew I wasn’t being fair, told myself it was for her own good.”

“Ever thought about asking her what she wanted?”

The look on Steve’s face is answer enough.

“How do I make this right?” he asks, eventually.

“I don’t know,” Bucky replies. “You hurt her, and then you stayed away and let the hurt grow. I’m her soulmate, and I still have to convince her I’m not going to ditch her for a blonde with ties to my past.”

Steve actually flinches at that, but doesn’t try to justify himself, which Bucky is pleased to see. They were best friends, once upon a time. He’s glad to see he’s not completely a lost cause. After a while he snickers. “Five foot nothing and she busted your chops like you were ten. ‘Bout time someone did, I reckon.”

Steve flushes. “I seem to remember you doing so a few times.”

“Well, someone needs to. Look what trouble you get into when I’m not around. I knew you were never good with the dames but hell, Stevie, this takes the cake.”

By unspoken agreement, the conversation moves to other topics. Bucky reckons he’s made his point. This is Darcy’s battle to fight; he’s just there to hold her coat.

* * *

Steve tries to apologise several times after that, but Darcy doesn’t want to talk to him. She’s pretty much over it now but she’s not telling him. Not yet. Maybe someday, they can sit down and talk, but that day is not today. Tomorrow isn’t looking good either.

She does encourage James to talk to his old friend again. Talking with Steve helps him remember. He’s still not happy with what Steve did, but he comes back from their conversations somehow lighter.

After a few weeks at the Tower, they decide to go back to California. Darcy’s job is there, so despite the protests of the Tower residents, they pack up her car, still parked in Jane’s space, and start the drive back West.

Darcy’s boss is delighted to have her back. Apparently nothing worked properly in her absence: forms piled up, donations went unrecorded, and there are at least three sponsorship requests that need to be considered and filed.

James finds work at a bookstore near their apartment. Darcy is _thrilled_ with his staff discount.

Steve and Sharon are married in a small, private ceremony two months after the birth of their daughter, Sarah Margaret Carter. At Darcy’s urging, James agrees to stand as Steve’s best man. Sharon does ask Darcy to be a bridesmaid, but she refuses. She does go as James’ date, though. She likes to see him in a suit.

It’s not a perfect life. James grumbles about her driving, and she grumbles in turn about his navigation. She likes to hog the blankets and he _still_ doesn’t remember where he left his phone (it’s usually in his arm).

Still, when Darcy finishes her chocolate malt milkshake to find a golden ring in a tiny plastic bag at the bottom, she bursts into tears and kisses him soundly as the staff at the diner cheer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this is my last upload for 2015! One and a half months, two finished fics, and 40k words later... I am so thankful for all of you! I'll be back in mid-Jan, with some more WinterShock (but not this one, their story is done)
> 
> Have a fantastic and safe New Year and I'll see you in 2016!


End file.
